Student: 'Different' Does Not Mean 'Bad'

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RALEIGH — Psychologists say there is a connection between kids who are teased and kids who commit violent acts at school. One young man says he has endured a lifetime of teasing, and he can understand how outcasts feel like they just cannot take it anymore.

Sean Casey, 18, says he and his friends have taken a lot from other students over the years. He says most teenagers do not understand that "different" does not mean "bad."

"They just look at me as this different kid that no one can relate to, so I'm singled out and isolated," he said.

Casey says he is not violent, but can understand how someone can be pushed to take revenge on bullies.

"After a while, it almost reaches paranoia," he said. "There's nobody on your side. You're totally alone in the school."

He said teachers watch outcasts more closely after school shootings. Casey looks forward to life after high school, where he hopes the situation will be better.

"I look forward to a world where you're not picked on simply because you're different," he said.

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